ESPN lays off commentators in ‘cost savings’ measure

ESPN announced it will attempt a “cost savings” measure by laying off an unknown number of commentators Friday.

“This exercise will include a small group of job cuts in the short-term and an ongoing focus on managing costs when we negotiate individual contract renewals in the months ahead,” ESPN’s statement read. “This is an extremely challenging process, involving individuals who have had tremendous impact on our company. These difficult decisions, based more on overall efficiency than merit, will help us meet our financial targets and ensure future growth.”

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The network did not announce the identities of the affected commentators, but some have since come forward to reveal they are among the laid-off employees.

“Today I join the many hard-working colleagues who have been laid off. Heartbreaking-but 27 years at ESPN was a good run,” Suzy Kolber tweeted Friday. “So grateful for a 38 yr career! Longevity for a woman in this business is something I’m especially proud of.”

“My time at ESPN is over,” Joon Lee tweeted. “Incredibly grateful for all the opportunities I received over the last four-plus years. I got to live out my literal childhood dream job, worked with some of the most talented people and made so many friends.”

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The New York Post reported that an estimated 20 commentators in total have been affected by layoffs.

This effort by ESPN comes after its parent company Disney similarly announced layoffs for 75 Pixar Animation Studio employees earlier this month. In February, Disney laid off an additional 7,000 employees in a $5.5 billion effort in cost savings, which represented roughly 3% of Disney’s 220,000 global employees.